Chapter 67: Explorer
All eyes burned hotter than before, locked firmly onto the white-clad figure.
Liu Chuan's expression remained calm, as though the deafening cheers had nothing to do with him.
His indifferent gaze swept across the entire venue. Slowly, he spoke. His voice was not impassioned, yet it carried a strange clarity and calm that reached every ear. "I am Liu Chuan."
The simple introduction stirred another wave of subdued commotion.
"Captain Shiba spoke just now of the responsibility to protect."
Then his tone shifted slightly. Still steady, it gained the rational scrutiny of a researcher. "However, protection requires strength, and the pursuit of strength requires a path.
"The path Soul Society has granted you is the teachings of Shin'ō Academy, the guidance of your Zanpakuto, and the legacy of the Gotei 13. That is the destination of the vast majority."
He paused, and his gaze seemed to deepen. "But the world is vast, and the sources of strength extend far beyond this. All things in this world contain endless mysteries and possibilities."
The audience gradually quieted, the students drawn in by the grand vision his words had painted.
His gaze swept over the crowd. "Do not allow yourselves to be completely bound by established frameworks. Do not lose your true selves because of others' judgments. Do not become complacent because of temporary strength or weakness.
Liu Chuan concluded, his voice returning to calm. "May you all, upon the road ahead, while standing upon the foundation of protection, retain a heart that constantly seeks, dares to question,
and remains unwavering in exploration."
With that, he took a step back.
Silence.
Several seconds of absolute silence.
Then—
"BOOM!!!"
Cheers, applause, and shouts erupted with ten, a hundred times the fervor that had followed Isshin Shiba's speech, like a volcanic eruption